Proscenic P11 Mopping review: Half of this 2-in-1 pulls its weight

Robot vacuums that also mop are all the rage, but Proscenic’s P11 Mopping is the first cordless stick vac we’ve seen with this capability. It adds a detachable mopping base to a lightweight vacuum enabling users to switch between vacuuming and mopping in a single device.

Despite this new trick, there’s nothing radical about the P11 Mopping’s design. It’s constructed like a conventional stick vacuum with three primary components: the main body, an extension tube, and a floor-cleaning head. To enable wet cleaning, it includes a separate mop module that you attach to the back of floor-cleaning head for the job at hand.

Design & build

Let’s take a closer look at each component. The body houses a 400W brushless motor and a 0.65-liter dustbin. A five-layer whole-body filtration system that include a cyclone system, stainless steel mesh, cone filtration, and an air inlet HEPA filter and air inlet sponge that—the manufacturer says, captures 99.99 percent of dust particles, so they don’t escape into the air.

A touch display on top of the body is allows you to select cleaning modes and view current suction and battery levels. The 2,000mAh battery attaches horizontally to the bottom of the vacuum’s handle rather than slotting awkwardly into the body as it does on many other cordless vacuums.

The floor-cleaning head contains a motorized bristle brush and has three LEDs on the front to make debris easier to see as you clean. The mop module includes a 340ml water tank with a microfiber mopping cloth Velcroed to the bottom. This module attaches to the back of the vacuum head, so you can vacuum and mop simultaneously.

In addition to the floor brush and mop module, the vacuum comes with a 2-in-1 dusting brush and a long crevice tool. These can all attach to the extension tube or directly to the body to convert it into a hand vac.

Also included is a wall hanger that can be installed with screws. Once mounted, you can hang the vacuum on it and plug the power adapter into the hanger’s charging port. Alternatively, you can charge the battery by connecting it to the adapter directly. It takes about four to five hours to fully charge the battery, which provides up to 50 minutes of runtime.

Operations

Operating the P11 Mopping couldn’t be simpler. Just squeeze it trigger to power it on, tap the suction icon on it touch display up to three times to activate the desired suction mode, and off you go. Proscenic doesn’t provide any details about the vacuum’s suction levels, other than to say they top out at a powerful 35,000Pa, which is many times higher than even the most premium robot vacuum can deliver. The higher the suction mode, of course, the shorter the battery life you’ll get. Again, Proscenic doesn’t divulge runtimes for each mode; but in my experience, running continuous max suction can drain a stick vac in as little as 15 minutes.

When the vacuum’s dustbin is full, a red indicator light illuminates to let you know it’s time to empty it. Simply depress the trigger again to power the vacuum off. Press the buttons on both sides of the body to release the dustbin, and then hold it over a trash can and press a button on the side of the bin to dump its contents.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

Performance

While the P11 shined as a vacuum, I can’t say my floors did after using it to mop them. After preparing the mop module by wetting the pad and filling the tank with tap water, I attached it to the vacuum and gave my living room a thorough going over.

The results weren’t great. The P11 Mopping was able to lighten several shoe scuffs, but it couldn’t completely remove them no matter how many times I went over the spots or how much elbow grease I applied. When I used it to clean up a small amount of dried dirt that was tracked in after a recent rain, it turned it into a muddy mess I ultimately had to clean up with a stick mop. In my testing, it did best with light liquid spills, which it wiped up with no trouble.

Mopping also left a couple of sizable puddles on my floor. That’s not great, considering excessive water can warp moisture-sensitive floors such as hardwoods and laminates. But unlike with smart mops—and even stick mops, from which you can wring out excess water—the P11 mopping doesn’t provide a way to control how much water is applied to the floor. I was able to mitigate the puddle problem a bit by not pre-dampening the mop cloth before subsequent mopping jobs, but it still left the floor visibly wet for hours.

Should you buy a P11 Mopping cordless vacuum?

If I only rated the P11 Mopping on its vacuuming performance, it would be easy to recommend. But it’s a tough sell when its marquee feature is also its weakest. Proscenic offers better options for anyone looking for a lightweight vacuum cleaner, including the P11 Smart. If your heart is set on a 2-in-1 floor cleaner, a robot vacuum and mop combo is still your best bet.